Post by Chrysanthemum on Jul 2, 2015 10:07:31 GMT -5
My husband's car was totalled over the weekend, in an accident in which the driver was texting and ran over his parked car. We expect to only get $3,000 for it because it's old but was in good condition. It seems silly to buy another "beater" so to speak, so we're considering looking at certified pre-owned cars. So far we think we'll look at Toyota Camrys. I've only ever bought new cars and he's only ever bought beaters, so this is new for us. Any advice? TIA!
We still bought our "not quite beaters any more" cars (in the $6-10K range) private party, but we had cash. Are you buying cash or do you need a loan? Do you have any car knowledge or friends you can use to help find a good one?
Private party Get a good pre-buy inspection by a trusted mechanic. Pay cash if possible. Stick with reliable vehicles such as Toyota, Honda and Subaru with low miles/year. Make sure you see service records.
I would research everything you can about one type of car you might want, like a camry, then see if you can find one through a private party. Get all of the information you can about the car, and check the exact model for known issues, mechanical records, and blue book value. Ask if you can meet the seller at a trusted mechanic if you are close to reaching a deal.
Carcomplaints.com is a great resource, I did all kinds of research when buying my car and there were several years of the model I wanted that I ended up NOT wanting because of that. Get the Carfax Honestly, I'm all for certified pre-owned over a private party as they usually come with somewhat of a warranty. If you do a private party, bring a mechanic with you.
Post by Chrysanthemum on Jul 2, 2015 13:57:11 GMT -5
Thanks for the tips! Pom I'm so glad you recommended that website, I hadn't heard of it. Really helpful!
@tokenhoser We will probably need a loan. We're doing fertility treatments right now and have depleted most of our savings. Unfortunately, the timing is terrible. How does one go about getting a loan if it's not through a dealership? Just walk into a bank?
H does know a lot about cars, but the suggestions to bring it to a mechanic before buying is a good idea.
H does know a lot about cars, but the suggestions to bring it to a mechanic before buying is a good idea.
I think that the last time SO bought his car, it cost about $125 to get the car checked out mechanically. They flagged a few things that could possibly be problems in the future so that he wasn't blindsided when he needed new brakes 4 months from the purchase.
If you are running it through a private party, I would look spring for a carfax on it too.
Thanks for the tips! Pom I'm so glad you recommended that website, I hadn't heard of it. Really helpful!
@tokenhoser We will probably need a loan. We're doing fertility treatments right now and have depleted most of our savings. Unfortunately, the timing is terrible. How does one go about getting a loan if it's not through a dealership? Just walk into a bank?
H does know a lot about cars, but the suggestions to bring it to a mechanic before buying is a good idea.
I got my loan through my credit union. I filled out an online application and put in the max amount that I wanted to spend. They did an initial approval and then I went into the credit union to finalize the paperwork and get the check. Mine was a private sale so the seller went with me to hand over the title.